Image forming apparatus

ABSTRACT

An internal discharge space is defined between an image reading section and an image forming section and the internal discharge space has an opening in a front of the image forming apparatus. Since the internal discharge space has the opening in the front of the image forming apparatus, a border between the internal discharge space and the housing is located in the front of the image forming apparatus. A light emitting section having a predetermined length along the border is provided and emits light along the predetermined length of the border, enabling users to check a light emission state from a distance. Accordingly, a state of the image forming apparatus can be indicated by the light emitting section.

This application is a continuation application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 17/648,775, filed Jan. 24, 2022, which claims thebenefit of and priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2021-009355,filed Jan. 25, 2021, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated byreference herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND 1. Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to an image forming apparatus.

2. Related Art

A housing of an image forming apparatus disclosed in JP-A-8-339107 has aconcave discharge section 4 that is surrounded by the housing except forthe front. The image forming apparatus also includes an illuminationlamp 46 on the upper rear of the discharge section 4. The illuminationlamp 46 is automatically switched on when a paper sheet is dischargedonto a discharge tray 41 and is switched off when a predetermined timeperiod has elapsed.

Such a known image forming apparatus illuminates the print productdischarged onto the concave section in the housing to enable the user tolocate the print product more readily in the concave section, whichtends to be dark, but the apparatus fails to provide any furtherinformation when the concave section is viewed from a distance. Thepresent disclosure enables users to readily check the state of an imageforming apparatus from a distance.

SUMMARY

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, an image formingapparatus includes a housing, an image reading section configured toread a document mounted on a document placing table, an image formingsection configured to form an image read by the image reading section orform another image on a sheet, a discharge section configured todischarge the sheet on which the image is formed by the image formingsection, and a discharge tray configured to receive the sheet dischargedfrom the discharge section. In the image forming apparatus, an internaldischarge space is defined between the image reading section and theimage forming section, the internal discharge space has an opening in afront of the image forming apparatus, and a light emitting sectionhaving a predetermined length along a border between the internaldischarge space and the housing is provided.

The image forming apparatus according to the aspect of the presentdisclosure includes a housing, an image reading section configured toread a document mounted on a document placing table, an image formingsection configured to form an image read by the image reading section orform another image on a sheet, a discharge section configured todischarge the sheet on which the image is formed by the image formingsection, and a discharge tray configured to receive the sheet dischargedfrom the discharge section. When the image reading section reads adocument mounted on the document placing table or an image is externallysupplied, the image forming section forms the image read by the imagereading section or the other image on a sheet, and the discharge sectiondischarges the sheet on which the image is formed by the image formingsection onto the discharge tray.

An internal discharge space is defined between the image reading sectionand the image forming section and the internal discharge space has anopening in a front of the image forming apparatus. Since the internaldischarge space has the opening in the front of the image formingapparatus, the border between the internal discharge space and thehousing is located in the front of the image forming apparatus. A lightemitting section having a predetermined length along the border isprovided and emits light along the predetermined length of the border.

The image forming apparatus according to the aspect of the presentdisclosure emits light along the predetermined length of the border withthe internal discharge space in the front of the image formingapparatus, enabling the user to visually check the light emission statefrom a distance. Accordingly, a state of the image forming apparatus canbe indicated by the light emitting section.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view illustrating an image formingapparatus.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view illustrating main components of the imageforming apparatus.

FIG. 3 is an external perspective view illustrating an image formingapparatus according to a modification.

FIG. 4 is an external perspective view illustrating an image formingapparatus according to a modification.

FIG. 5 is a partial sectional view illustrating the image formingapparatus.

FIG. 6 is an external perspective view illustrating an image formingapparatus according to a modification.

FIGS. 7A to 7E are schematic views each illustrating a light emissionstate of a light emitting section according to a modification.

FIG. 8 is an external perspective view illustrating an image formingapparatus according to a modification.

FIG. 9 is a partial sectional view illustrating the image formingapparatus.

FIG. 10 is a partial sectional view illustrating the image formingapparatus according to a modification.

DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be describedwith reference to the attached drawings. FIG. 1 is an externalperspective view illustrating an image forming apparatus. In FIG. 1 , animage forming apparatus 10 includes a body 12 that has a housing 11which has a substantially prism shape and which is substantiallyrectangular in plan view. The body 12 includes an image reading section13, an image forming section 14, a discharge section 15, and a dischargetray 16. The image reading section 13 is disposed on the housing 11 andreads a document mounted on a document placing table 13 a. The imageforming section 14 is disposed below the image reading section 13 andforms an image read by the image reading section 13 on a predeterminedsheet. The discharge section 15 discharges the sheet on which the imageis formed by the image forming section 14. The discharge tray 16receives the sheet discharged from the discharge section 15. In thisembodiment, an auto document feeder (ADF) 13 b is provided as a part ofthe image reading section 13. The ADF 13 b is disposed on the documentplacing table 13 a.

The ADF 13 b includes a document feeding table 13 b 1 that is inclinedgently upward from a central portion to the right. The ADF 13 b includesa mechanism section 13 b 3 on the left. The mechanism section 13 b 3feeds a document on the document feeding table 13 b 1 downward, reversesthe document by 180 degrees, transports the document that has passed aleft upper surface of the document placing table 13 a, and dischargesthe document onto a document discharge tray 13 b 2 disposed below thedocument feeding table 13 b 1. The ADF 13 b including the mechanismsection 13 b 3 is bright white overall, whereas the document feedingtable 13 b 1 and the document discharge tray 13 b 2 are dark gray.Documents are generally white paper and can be readily distinguished onthe document feeding table 13 b 1 and document discharge tray 13 b 2which have a dark color.

The housing 11 of the body 12 has an internal discharge space 17 that isdefined below the image reading section 13, and the front and the leftside of the internal discharge space 17 are open. Accordingly, exceptfor the internal discharge space 17, the housing 11 of the body 12extends continuously in an up-down direction on the rear and on theright of the internal discharge space 17. The housing 11 is bright whiteoverall, and a wall surface 17 a of the internal discharge space 17 isdark gray overall.

The body 12 accommodates the image forming section 14 below the internaldischarge space 17, and thus the internal discharge space 17 is definedbetween the image reading section 13 and the image forming section 14 inthe body 12. As described above, the body 12 has the internal dischargespace 17 defined between the image reading section 13 and the imageforming section 14, and the body 12 may have a portion, in which theinternal discharge space 17 is not provided, on the rear and on theright between the image reading section 13 and the image forming section14.

FIG. 2 is an external perspective view illustrating main components ofthe image forming apparatus. FIG. 2 illustrates a lower portion of theimage forming apparatus below the internal discharge space 17, in whichthe bottom of the internal discharge space 17 serves as the dischargetray 16. The discharge tray 16 is an inclined surface that is inclineddownward from the left to the right. As described above, the wallsurface 17 a of the internal discharge space 17 is dark gray overall,and an upper wall surface 17 a 1 (the top portion) of the wall surface17 a is horizontal, a right wall surface 17 a 2 is vertical, and a lowerwall surface 17 a 3 (the bottom portion) is an inclined surface that isinclined downward from the left to the right. An operation panel (alsoreferred to as an operation unit) 12 a protrudes forward from the body12 on the right of the internal discharge space 17. The rear of theoperation panel 12 a is bright white and the operation panel 12 aincludes a touch panel provided at almost the entire top, on whichoperations are performed, and a surrounding bezel portion is black.

The discharge section 15 has a discharge port 15 a on the right of theinternal discharge space 17. The discharge section 15 discharges asheet, on which an image has been formed by the image forming section 14disposed below the internal discharge space 17, onto the discharge tray16 via the discharge port 15 a. The discharge section 15 is a part of atransport unit 18 that includes a transport belt, rollers, and othercomponents. The transport unit 18 transports paper sheets in a papercassette 19 disposed in a lower portion of the body 12 to the imageforming section 14 and discharges the paper sheets on which images areformed. As described above, the transport unit 18 feeds paper sheetsfrom the paper cassette 19 disposed in the lower part, transports thepaper sheets in the image forming section 14, and discharges the papersheets in the discharge section 15. In this embodiment, the transportunit 18 performs all transport operations; however, a mechanism in whichthe transport operations are individually performed in respective stepsmay be provided.

The image forming apparatus 10 according to the embodiment transportspaper sheets in the right portion of the body 12 and forms images on thepaper sheets by using the ink jet image forming section 14 duringtransport of the paper sheet, and a space is defined on the left of theimage forming section 14 below the internal discharge space 17. Aconsumable-item attachment section 20 of the image forming apparatus 10is provided in this space. The consumable-item attachment section 20accommodates an ink cartridge 21 in an upper portion, an ink supply unit22 below the ink cartridge 21, and a waste liquid box 23 adjacent to theink supply unit 22. A predetermined color ink contained in the inkcartridge 21 is supplied to a head of the image forming section 14 viathe ink supply unit 22 and is used to form images. Waste liquid that isdischarged during head cleaning performed at a predetermined timing iscollected into the waste liquid box 23. The ink cartridge 21 and the inksupply unit 22 are collectively referred to as an ink supply section,and the waste liquid box 23 is also referred to as a waste liquidcontainer. The housing 11 accommodates a controller 12 b, which controlsdisplay of operations and operations input to the operation panel 12 aand controls corresponding components in response to the operations.

In FIG. 1 , the upper wall surface 17 a 1, the right wall surface 17 a2, and the lower wall surface 17 a 3 of the internal discharge space 17have respective borders with a front wall surface of the housing 11. Theborder between the right wall surface 17 a 2 and the front wall surfaceand the border between the lower wall surface 17 a 3 and the front wallsurface of the housing 11 each have an arc. A light emitting section 30is provided at a front end portion of the lower wall surface 17 a 3.More specifically, a light-emitting diode (LED) that emits white lightis disposed straight in the lower wall surface 17 a 3, and the top ofthe LED is covered by a blue plate to enable diffusion of blue light.The light emitting section 30 is disposed substantially straight from aleft end of the lower wall surface 17 a 3, which is inclined downwardfrom the left to the right, to a right end, at which the arc starts. Inother words, the light emitting section 30 extends straightsubstantially along the length of the front end of the lower wallsurface 17 a 3. A method of switching on the light emitting section 30to indicate a light emission state of the light emitting section 30 isappropriately controlled by the controller 12 b depending on the stateof the image forming apparatus 10.

As described above, the internal discharge space 17 has the opening inthe front of the image forming apparatus and has the light emittingsection 30 having a predetermined length along the border between theinternal discharge space 17 and the housing 11. The light emittingsection 30 emits light along the predetermined length of the border withthe internal discharge space 17 in the front of the image formingapparatus 10, and thus a portion of the outer surface is illuminated inthe form of a line, enabling the user to readily visually check thelight emission state from a distance. Accordingly, a state of the imageforming apparatus 10 can be indicated by the light emitting section 30.When the light emitting section 30 is switched on, blue light is emittedand diffused. The blue light emitted at the border between thedark-color portion and the bright-color portion is clearly visible,resulting in increased visibility. Accordingly, the user can readilycheck the blue light from a distance.

Examples of indication of states of the image forming apparatus 10include indicating sheet discharge after image formation, slowlyblinking during a series of print jobs, continuously illuminating afterprint job completion, and rapidly repeatedly blinking when an error hasoccurred. These examples of indication are merely examples, andindication control by other methods may be made. The light emittingsection 30 according to the embodiment extends at the border between theinternal discharge space 17 and the housing 11. In addition, lightemission may be performed in a lower portion of the operation panel 12a. In such a case, the operation panel 12 a is a plate-shaped operationunit that protrudes forward from a front portion of the image readingsection 13 of the housing 11 and includes a sub-light emitting section31 that emits light in a lower portion of the operation panel 12 a, inaddition to the light emitting section 30. The sub-light emittingsection 31 is disposed at a position readily viewable by the user,resulting in increased visibility. The image forming apparatus 10according to the embodiment includes one paper cassette 19 in the lowerportion, enabling the user to readily perform operations when the imageforming apparatus 10 is placed, for example, on a table in an office. Itshould be noted that the structure according to the embodiment is notlimited to this example.

FIG. 3 is an external perspective view illustrating an image formingapparatus according to a modification. An image forming apparatus 110according to the modification includes a body 112 that has asubstantially prism-shaped housing 111 that is taller than the imageforming apparatus 10 according to the above-described embodiment. Theimage forming apparatus 110 includes an image reading section 113, animage forming section 114, a discharge section 115, and a discharge tray116. The image reading section 113 is disposed in an upper portion ofthe image forming apparatus 110. The image forming section 114 isdisposed below the image reading section 113 and forms an image read bythe image reading section 113 on a predetermined sheet. The dischargesection 115 discharges the sheet on which the image is formed by theimage forming section 114. The discharge tray 116 receives the sheetdischarged from the discharge section 115. The image forming apparatus110 includes four paper cassettes 119 in a lower portion, and thisstructure having such a height enables the user to readily performoperations when the image forming apparatus 110 is placed, for example,on the floor in an office.

In this modification, the housing 111 of the body 112 has an internaldischarge space 117 that is defined below the image reading section 113,and the front and the left side of the internal discharge space 117 areopen. A wall surface 117 a of the internal discharge space 117 is darkgray overall. The wall surface 117 a of the internal discharge space 117has a horizontal upper wall surface 117 a 1, a vertical right wallsurface 117 a 2, and a lower wall surface 117 a 3 that is an inclinedsurface inclined downward from the left to the right.

The light emitting section 30 according to the above-describedembodiment is provided at the front end portion of the lower wallsurface 17 a 3, whereas a light emitting section 120 according to themodification is provided at a border between the vertical right wallsurface 117 a 2 and a front wall surface of the housing 111. Morespecifically, the light emitting section 120 is disposed substantiallystraight from a top end of the vertical right wall surface 117 a 2 to abottom end, at which an arc starts. In other words, the light emittingsection 120 extends straight substantially along the length of the frontend of the right wall surface 117 a 2. A light emission state of thelight emitting section 120 is appropriately controlled by a controller(not illustrated) depending on the state of the image forming apparatus110.

In the light emitting section 120, an LED that emits white light isdisposed straight, and the top of the LED is covered by a blue plate toenable the diffusion of blue light. As described above, the internaldischarge space 117 has the opening in the front of the image formingapparatus 110 and has the light emitting section 120 having apredetermined length along the border between the internal dischargespace 117 and the housing 111. The light emitting section 120 emitslight along the predetermined length of the border with the internaldischarge space 117 in the front of the image forming apparatus 110,enabling the user to readily visually check the light emission statefrom a distance. Accordingly, a state of the image forming apparatus 110can be indicated by the light emitting section 120. When the lightemitting section 120 is switched on, blue light is emitted and diffused.

In this modification, the light emitting section 120 is elongated in thevertical direction and is less likely to be affected by obstacles whenviewed from a distance. The light emitting section 120 according to themodification is provided at the front end portion of the right wallsurface 117 a 2, whereas the light emitting section 30 according to theabove-described embodiment is provided at the front end portion of thelower wall surface 17 a 3. In this modification, a light emittingsection 130 may be provided at both front end portions of the right wallsurface 117 a 2 and the lower wall surface 117 a 3. In such a case, thelight emitting section 130 may be provided at an arc portion where theright wall surface 117 a 2 and the lower wall surface 117 a 3 arecontinuous. The elongated light emitting section 130 achieves increasedvisibility.

The image forming apparatus 10 according to the above-describedembodiment and the image forming apparatus 110 according to theabove-described modification include the light emitting section 30 andthe light emitting section 130, respectively, each having the LED, whichemits white light and is disposed straight, and the top of the LED iscovered by the blue plate to enable the diffusion of blue light.However, the structure of the light emitting sections is not limited tothis example. FIG. 4 is an external perspective view illustrating animage forming apparatus according to a modification. FIG. 5 is a partialsectional view illustrating the image forming apparatus.

An image forming apparatus 210 according to the modification includes adoor 211 a that is openable toward the user and is disposed in a lowerportion in the front of a housing 211. The door 211 a is openable andclosable about a rotation shaft at the right end and is rotatable towardthe user at the left end. The door 211 a has a substantially U-shapedrecess 211 a 1 at a top end that is open at the top to enable the userto pull the door 211 a to open or to close the door 211 a as illustratedin FIG. 5 . The recess 211 a 1 includes a front wall member 211 a 1 a, abottom wall member 211 a 1 b, and a rear wall member 211 a 1 c. Thefront wall member 211 a 1 a is a front wall that constitutes the frontof the housing 211. The bottom wall member 211 a 1 b extends toward therear from a position lower than a top end of the front wall member 211 a1 a to some extent. The rear wall member 211 a 1 c is continuous withthe bottom wall member 211 a 1 b and extends upward from a positionoffset toward the rear of the image forming apparatus 210. The recess211 a 1 is referred to as a step portion. In the step portion, the frontwall member 211 a 1 a is lower than the rear wall member 211 a 1 c,which enables the user to place their fingertips into the step portionand hold and pull the top end of the front wall member 211 a 1 a to openthe door 211 a.

A light emitting section 230 is provided on a rear wall surface of thefront wall member 211 a 1 a, which is a surface of the housing 211opposite to the front. The light emitting section 230 includes astraight light emitter 230 a in which the top of an LED 230 a 1 thatemits white light is covered by a blue plate 230 a 2. The top end of thedoor 211 a is adjacent to a bottom wall surface 217 a 3 of an internaldischarge space 217 and extends straight in a substantially horizontaldirection. With this structure, the light emitting section 230 has apredetermined length along the border between the internal dischargespace 217 and the door 211 a constituting the front of the housing 211.

FIG. 6 is an external perspective view illustrating an image formingapparatus according to a modification. The image forming apparatus 210illustrated in FIG. 4 includes the light emitting section 230 disposedat the border with the front end of the bottom wall surface 217 a 3 ofthe internal discharge space 217, whereas an image forming apparatus 310illustrated in FIG. 6 includes a light emitting section 330 that isdisposed at a border with a front end of a right wall surface 317 a 2 ofan internal discharge space 317.

In the image forming apparatus 210, the light emitting section 230illuminates from the rear of the front wall member 211 a 1 a to thefront of the rear wall member 211 a 1 c, providing indirect lightning.Accordingly, the image forming apparatus 210 can provide light that isbright yet gentle on the eyes. It should be noted that the image formingapparatus 310 can also achieve similar effects. In the above-describedembodiments, the light emitting sections only illuminate or blink, butthe present disclosure is not limited to this example.

FIGS. 7A to 7E are schematic views each illustrating a light emissionstate of a light emitting section according to a modification. A lightemitting section 430 illustrated in FIGS. 7A to 7E includes four lightemitters 421 to 424 that can be individually selectively switched on orswitched off. As illustrated in FIGS. 7A to 7E, all light emitters areswitched off in a default state, and starting from light emitter 421 onthe left, the light emitters 422 to 424 can be sequentially switched onto the right. The changes of the light emission states are controlled bya controller (not illustrated). With the light emitters individuallyswitched on sequentially, a paper discharge state can be indicated andoperations of the image forming apparatus can be checked from adistance.

FIG. 8 is an external perspective view illustrating an image formingapparatus according to a modification. FIG. 9 is a partial sectionalview illustrating the image forming apparatus. In this modification, anADF 513 b is provided as a part of an image reading section 513. The ADF513 b is disposed on a document placing table 513 a. The ADF 513 bincludes a document feeding table 513 b 1 that is inclined gently upwardfrom a central portion to the right. The ADF 513 b includes a mechanismsection 513 b 3 on the left. A document discharge tray 513 b 2 isdisposed below the document feeding table 513 b 1.

A top end of the ADF 513 b is substantially rectangular and, except forthe document feeding table 513 b 1 and the document discharge tray 513 b2, is a bright color. The top of the ADF 513 b, except for the documentfeeding table 513 b 1 and the document discharge tray 513 b 2, has asubstantially L-shape. A light emitting section 530, which emits bluelight, is provided around an edge of a peripheral line of the L-shapedportion.

The cross-section of the light emitting section 530 illustrated in FIG.9 has an L-shape, whereas the cross-section of the light emittingsection 530 illustrated in FIG. 10 has a trapezoidal shape. The L-shapeenables the light emitting section 530 to emit light from at least twosides. The trapezoidal shape enables the light emitting section 530 toemit light from three sides except for the bottom. Both light emittingsections 530 emit blue light upward and in the peripheral edgedirection. As described above, the image reading section 513 includingthe ADF 513 b is disposed on the top of a housing 511 and the lightemitting section 530 having a predetermined length is provided at thetop edge portion of the ADF 513 b of the image reading section 513. Thetop of the ADF 513 b is the highest position in an image formingapparatus 510, and thus the light emitting section 530 can be viewedwithout obstruction in an office, and the state of the image formingapparatus 510 can be readily checked from a distance by viewing thelight emission state.

The light emitting section 530 may be located between the internaldischarge space 317 and the document placing table 513 a.

It should be noted that the present disclosure is not limited to theabove-described embodiments. Although it will be apparent to a personskilled in the art, the following are disclosed as embodiments of thepresent disclosure:

-   -   Any combination of the interchangeable components, structures,        or the like disclosed in the above-described embodiments may be        applied appropriately;    -   Although not disclosed in the above-described embodiments, any        component, structure, or the like disclosed in the        above-described embodiments may be replaced with a replaceable        component, structure, or the like known in the art, and any        combination of the components, structures, or the like may be        changed and applied appropriately; and    -   Although not disclosed in the above-described embodiments, any        component, structure, or the like disclosed in the        above-described embodiments may be replaced with a component,        structure, or the like known in the art or the like assumed to        be substituted for the components, structures, or the like        disclosed in the above-described embodiments by a person skilled        in the art, and any combination of the components, structures,        or the like may be changed and applied appropriately.

What is claimed is:
 1. An image forming apparatus comprising: a housing;an image reader configured to read a document mounted on a documentplacing table; an image former configured to form an image read by theimage reader or form another image on a sheet; a discharger configuredto discharge the sheet on which the image is formed by the image former;a discharge tray configured to receive the sheet discharged from thedischarger; and a light emitter configured to emit light outwardly fromthe image forming apparatus, wherein an internal discharge space isdefined between the image reader and the image former, the internaldischarge space has an opening in a front of the image formingapparatus, and the image reader is disposed at a top of the housing, andthe light emitter is positioned at a top edge portion of the imagereader, and has a predetermined length.
 2. The image forming apparatusaccording to claim 1, wherein the light emitter is located between theinternal discharge space and a document placing table.
 3. The imageforming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image reader isformed in a bright color except for a document discharge tray.
 4. Theimage forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the housing has adark-color portion continuous with the internal discharge space and abright-color portion continuous with the dark-color portion, and thelight emitter is provided at a border between the dark-color portion andthe bright-color portion.
 5. The image forming apparatus according toclaim 1, wherein the light emitter emits white light, and the housingincludes a blue plate along the light emitter to diffuse blue light. 6.The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the lightemitter includes a plurality of light emitters, and the plurality oflight emitters is turned on and off depending on a state of the imageforming apparatus.
 7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,further comprising: a controller configured to determine a state of theimage forming apparatus, wherein a light emission state of the lightemitter is changed depending on the state determined by the controller.